Running back Chris Johnson will be paid $10 million next season if he's on the Titans' roster. / GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN

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The Tennessean

SUNDAY’S GAME

There are still two games left in the 2012 season, but Chris Johnson already is being asked if he will be with the Titans in 2013.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he said on Thursday.

Johnson shouldn’t worry. The Titans plan to keep the three-time Pro Bowl running back despite the hefty price tag that was built into the contract extension he signed last year, sources familiar with the situation said.

Johnson, 27, is scheduled to make $10 million in 2013 — $9 million of which becomes guaranteed on the fifth day of the new NFL year (Feb. 9). The Titans, who are expected to have plenty of salary cap room for next season, have no plans to release Johnson before the guarantee kicks in, sources said.

Johnson signed a $53.5 million contract extension in September 2011, and the guaranteed money in the lucrative deal has fueled speculation about his future with the Titans ever since then.

It intensified this season when Johnson — coming off a 1,047-yard year, the worst of his career — got off to a miserable start. But he now has five 100-yard games and 1,159 yards overall, putting the fifth-year pro on pace for his third-best season.

Coach Mike Munchak said he couldn’t imagine the Titans without Johnson next season, though he deferred questions about the contract to general manager Ruston Webster. Webster was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

“We want C.J. to finish strong and we are assuming he’s going to be here next year,” Munchak said. “Forge ahead, baby. How many years is he signed for? We feel good about C.J. and we are headed in the right direction there. I expect him to be back.”

The Titans still consider Johnson one of the league’s elite backs. Since 2008, only Adrian Peterson (7,223) has more rushing yards than Johnson (6,804), who ran for 2,006 yards in 2009.

Johnson’s base salary this season is $8 million. He’s under contract through 2016, with scheduled base salaries of $10 million (2013), $8 million (2014), $8 million (2015) and $7 million (2016). None of the salaries beyond this year are guaranteed at this point.

Trading Johnson is a highly unlikely option, one the Titans are not considering. They are currently about $13 million under the salary cap, an amount they can apply toward the 2013 cap.

“It started off bad, not as good as I wanted,” Johnson said. “But I feel through the season — if I am not here next year — I proved I’ve still got it, I haven’t lost a step, that I can still play. I can still be the best back in this league. I put it on film.”